Cold War 1945-1991* *(depending on which country you talk about)
The end of World War II brought on increased tensions between the victors namely the United States, a democratic government and communist Soviet Union. Although it seemed in photos that the Allied Powers were very agreeable that was far from the case. President Harry Truman and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin mistrusted each other from almost the moment they met.
Churchill, Truman, & Stalin 1945 Potsdam Conference
Truman:"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell."
Truman vs.Stalin
Soviet Union
United States
Communism
Dictatorship - chosen from the ranks of the Communist Party
Democracy
Free Elections - Presidency & Congress
Command Economy(Closed Market)- Communist Government
Decided all Economic Policies
Capitalist Economy(Free Market) Competition/Laws of Supply & Demand
Allowed the Market to Fluctuate with Minimal Gov't Involvement(depended on the presidential policies)
Human Rights - Dictated by the Communist Party
Human Rights - Believed in Personal Freedoms
Warsaw Pact - Military Alliance with Communist Nations
North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)alliance of Non-Communist nations
Government has minimal involvement in the economy.
The gov't decides what goods and products
to make and how much is produced.
Market forces: the laws of supply & demand determine
the type and quantity of goods and products.
Govt. decides wages for workers and sets prices
for goods.
Wages & prices are largely set by market forces.
Govt. owns most property
Private citizens & businesses own most property.
The Occupied Zones of Germany - Post World War II
Occupied Germany - Post WWII
The Allies of WWII - United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, & Free French Forces occupied Germany into zones by country as decided at the Yalta Conference January of 1945. The city of Berlin located entirely within the Soviet jurisdiction was also divided into zones for each of the victorious nations. This soon became a "hot spot" in era of tension between the conflicting ideologies - Democratic Capitalism vs. Communism. The principal players in this stand-off would be the United States & the Soviet Union(USSR). Both France & Britain's empires had been severely shaken during the war so they would follow the lead of the United States & continue to try to hold onto their decaying empires.
The United States Aids Europe
The Marshall Plan - A recovery plan to help put Europe back together again after the destruction of WWII. This massive economic recovery plan removed the trade barriers so that trade could flow freely across the continent. Between 1948-1952, the US provided approximately 17 countries with 13 billion in aid.This was also beneficial to the American post-war economy. Soviet Response - 1949 the Soviets founded COMECON to help the Eastern European countries although it was poorly funded and had few lasting effects. The eastern block countries had also been offered the Marshall Plan $$ but declined the offer.
Truman Doctrine - Issued May 1947- Truman declared the it was the duty of the free democratic world to fight against the tyranny of a state/political philosophy that restricted basic freedom such as the right to free elections, & freedom of speech.
Berlin Airlift - The Soviets sought to isolate the people of West Berlin so that there was no possibility for reunification with the more prosperous American,(French & British) areas.
"
The Korean War -1950-1954- stalemate
- approx 5 million killed
After WWII, it was agreed that the Soviets would oversee the redevelopment of the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The United States would in turn "nurse" the southern portion of Korea back to health. You may already know that the Japanese Empire had long held Korea for it's valuable coal & mineral deposits. It was necessary that the Allies help the Korean people to build a government, however, the Soviets and the Americans differed on the philosophy of government: Democratic or Communist. In 1949, the world learned of the victory of the Communist forces by Mao Zedong in the the newly formed Peoples' Republic of China. This shocked the United States as they had long aided the Chinese Nationalist forces headed by Jiang Jieshi - who was forced to the island of Taiwan to form the Nationalist Republic of China. How did this affect Korea?? In 1950, the North Koreans attacked the southern portion of the country in an effort to regain complete control of the government & thus the entire peninsula. The United States under the direction of WWII General Douglas MacArthur pushed the Communist North Koreans all the way back to the Chinese border and would have continued into China had President Truman allowed it. Truman although committed to the idea of limiting Communism in the world, was not willing to commit to war that involved the tremendous manpower of China along with the North Koreans who also received Soviet aid. The 38th parallel was to remain as the dividing line between:
North Korea=Communist - Closed Market Economy
South Korea=Democracy - Free Market Economy
The Atomic Age Meets the Space Race
Always trying to best each other, the superpowers United States & USSR had a serious
case of "Keeping Up With the Jones" Syndrome. If one power had something, the other powerhad to develop the same idea.
skill or accomplish the same feat or better as soon as possible. This had a direct effect on American
education. American kids who enjoyed watching TV and leisure activities were compared to Russian kids who could speak another language such as English and read Shakespeare.
"About the capitalist states, it doesn't depend on you whether or not we exist. If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations, and don't invite us to come and see you. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you."
Nikita Khrushchev, November 18, 1956
Khrushchev vs. Kennedy(Soviet Union vs. United States)Explain this mental battle in terms in the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cold War 1945-1991*
*(depending on which country you talk about)
The end of World War II brought on increased tensions between the victors namely the United States, a democratic government and communist Soviet Union. Although it seemed in photos that the Allied Powers were very agreeable that was far from the case. President Harry Truman and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin mistrusted each other from almost the moment they met.
Dictatorship - chosen from the ranks of the Communist Party
Free Elections - Presidency & Congress
Decided all Economic Policies
Allowed the Market to Fluctuate with Minimal Gov't Involvement(depended on the presidential policies)
Truman - Declaration of Cold War
Contrasting Economic Systems
Command Economies
(such as Soviet Union)Market Economies
(such as the United States)to make and how much is produced.
the type and quantity of goods and products.
for goods.
The Occupied Zones of Germany - Post World War II
The United States Aids Europe
- The Marshall Plan - A recovery plan to help put Europe back together again after the destruction of WWII. This massive economic recovery plan removed the trade barriers so that trade could flow freely across the continent. Between 1948-1952, the US provided approximately 17 countries with 13 billion in aid.This was also beneficial to the American post-war economy. Soviet Response - 1949 the Soviets founded COMECON to help the Eastern European countries although it was poorly funded and had few lasting effects. The eastern block countries had also been offered the Marshall Plan $$ but declined the offer.
- Truman Doctrine - Issued May 1947- Truman declared the it was the duty of the free democratic world to fight against the tyranny of a state/political philosophy that restricted basic freedom such as the right to free elections, & freedom of speech.
- Berlin Airlift - The Soviets sought to isolate the people of West Berlin so that there was no possibility for reunification with the more prosperous American,(French & British) areas.
"The Korean War -1950-1954- stalemate
- approx 5 million killed
After WWII, it was agreed that the Soviets would oversee the redevelopment of the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The United States would in turn "nurse" the southern portion of Korea back to health. You may already know that the Japanese Empire had long held Korea for it's valuable coal & mineral deposits. It was necessary that the Allies help the Korean people to build a government, however, the Soviets and the Americans differed on the philosophy of government: Democratic or Communist. In 1949, the world learned of the victory of the Communist forces by Mao Zedong in the the newly formed Peoples' Republic of China. This shocked the United States as they had long aided the Chinese Nationalist forces headed by Jiang Jieshi - who was forced to the island of Taiwan to form the Nationalist Republic of China. How did this affect Korea?? In 1950, the North Koreans attacked the southern portion of the country in an effort to regain complete control of the government & thus the entire peninsula. The United States under the direction of WWII General Douglas MacArthur pushed the Communist North Koreans all the way back to the Chinese border and would have continued into China had President Truman allowed it. Truman although committed to the idea of limiting Communism in the world, was not willing to commit to war that involved the tremendous manpower of China along with the North Koreans who also received Soviet aid. The 38th parallel was to remain as the dividing line between:
North Korea=Communist - Closed Market Economy
South Korea=Democracy - Free Market Economy
The Atomic Age Meets the Space Race
Always trying to best each other, the superpowers United States & USSR had a serious
case of "Keeping Up With the Jones" Syndrome. If one power had something, the other powerhad to develop the same idea.
skill or accomplish the same feat or better as soon as possible. This had a direct effect on American
education. American kids who enjoyed watching TV and leisure activities were compared to Russian kids who could speak another language such as English and read Shakespeare.
"Mike" - the Hydrogen Bomb Test
NASA Report - Yuri Gagarin
Restored Moonwalk
"About the capitalist states, it doesn't depend on you whether or not we exist. If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations, and don't invite us to come and see you. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you."
Nikita Khrushchev, November 18, 1956
Khrushchev vs. Kennedy(Soviet Union vs. United States)Explain this mental battle in terms in the Cuban Missile CrisisThe Berlin Wall - 1961 - (Round 1)
Son of Nikita Khrushchev - interviews
14 Days in October, 1962 -(Round 2 Cuban Missile Crisis)
JFK's Influence on American Society
Video:New Frontier/Berlin/Death of JFK
"Russians" song with lyrics by Sting 1984
song with visuals & lyrics not original video